The Dark Cobra Saga
by Ner'ual Say'lar
Summary: Chapter 2: I'll put a spell on you.... The mummies are called out when Scarab attacks the museum... and put his plan into action... MM slash stuff going on in first and later chappies... you have been 4 warned...
1. The End Is The Beginning Is The End

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**_MUMMIES ALIVE!!!_**

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**_The Dark Cobra Saga _**

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     Hello there Peps… This Is **Ner'ual of Say'lar**… _Dun dun duuuuuuun…! You might remember me from '_WE LOVE RATH!_' __(which I'm going to have someone spell check for me BTW!) piece I did… well this is a story I started **_yonks_ ago… it's been sitting in my folder and I just never got round to typing it up…**_

    I started it when I was in the U.S.A and MA! was on in the morning… I used to drive my sister mad!! Then I came back and it was on here in England too… which was nice… =^-^=

     So I recorded two tapes worth  of episodes… then it must have be at least a year since I last watched them… and I was going throw my videos… seeing witch I could use for recording over… and I dug out my MA! Tapes! 

    MA! Is one of the few cartoons I like witch my sister wont tell me to tern off… it's actually growing on her… she got it into my head that Ja-kal walks like he's got a really bad case of piles… hee hee… that cracks me up every time…!! I cant look at him with a strait face anymore!

     This story just came to me on a whim… I love slash… I can't help it… it's who I am… It didn't start of as a slash… Honest… it just ended up that way!….  I cant seem to find any MA! Slash anywhere! It's getting on my tits!

     So I decided to write one to get it out my system… Rath/Ja-kal… I love Rath…. And Ja-kal is growing on me… even though he dose seem to have permanent stick up arse syndrome….

     My friend thinks I'm sick and twisted… but then I don't live with gay rats, horny dogs and psycho buggies, farty mothers or disgusting brothers… So she can talk!! 

    But N E who… here's my offering… hope someone out there likes it… its gonna be a bumpy ride… and the rating is certainly going to go up in later chapters… so watch out…

     There's also something else I'm gonna try and do… all the chapter titles are going to be songs titles… And everyone that can correctly identify who sang it… GETS A MA! PLUSHIE AND AIR GUITAR!! 

_     (Plushies are subject to availability… colours of air guitar may vary… authoress may not be held accountable for any loss of sanity… standard contracts and restrictions apply……)_

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**Chapter 1_: The End is The Beginning is The End… _**

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     "HEKA! I have it!! At last! A way to get my hands on that accursed Rapses once and for all!! I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner!" Scarab cackled gleefully as he pranced around the room like a ballerina on steroids…

     "Now… where have I heard that before…?" Hissed the gold cobra. A sly smirk on her scaly face.

  "Oh be quiet and listen to my genius plan." He sneered as he pulled out a scroll from his robes.

  "If I must… Go on boss, Sock it to me…"

  "Here in my hand I hold the key to my plan. An ancient incantation that will turn one certain mummy against the others…" 

  "So your gonna make one of them fall out with the others… big flabby deal. What's so good about that…?"

     "Not just that you silly serpent. This… is The Spell of Opposite… It will turn the victim of the spell in to there opposite self…"

  "I think I get it… you gonna make him a bad guy? Is that it?" Heka ventured.

  "And Bingo was his nameo." The evil sorcerer grinned at his companion. 

  "But what good is that going to do?"

     "This plane has so many advantages I don't know where to start!" He said happily. "Turning him on the others will not only weaken their defences… But once his hart has succumb to the darkness, it will be a simple task in recruiting him to do my bidding…" 

  "For once… It sounds like this plan mite actually work…" the cobra hissed.

     "But that's only half the plan…"

  "There's more…?"

  "Once he's under my control… We attack the rest with a magic… and they won't stand a chance…" 

  "Let me guess… this spell is for that mummy in the cute cobra armour, right?" The old sorcerer gave her a strange look.

     "I would hardly use the word cute too describe Rath…"

  "I'd be worried if you did…" She smirked slyly.

  "Your… disgusting!"

  "I try my best…" She hissed cheerfully, Scarab rolled his eyes and sighed.

     "Now… How should lure our new partner out? This spell has to be done with him present."

  "Shouldn't be too difficult… all you have to do is brake into the museum… they all ways show when we go there…"

  "You have a point… and that way we could steal something to put them of the sent…" Scarab mused, a wicked grin spreading on his white wrinkled face. "Some how… I think… Tonight is going to be the start off a wonderful friend ship…" 

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     "NEFER-TINA!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF RA DID YOU DO THIS TIME!!" Ja-kal yelled hysterically at the charioteer as he supported the body of an unconscious scribe against his. 

     Ja-kal had just entered the garage to talk to Rath about the security for another party that Rapses was going to attend, when he saw Rath keel over on to the hard stone floor. Ja-kal's hart seemed to stop as he watched the cobra guardian hit the floor with a bone shattering thud.

     He was over at his side in a matter of seconds, what ever it was that made him collapse in to a pile of bandages on the chamber floor, he knew it had to be bad… and of course… Nefer-tina was responsible.

     The falcon guardian had gently lifted Rath's slim form up and rested him against his own. The scribe whimpered slightly as he was moved. For a dead man, he looked terrible and that was saying something…

     Ja-kal tore he attention away from the figure in his arms back to Nefer-tina, his eye's narrowed dangerously. It had to be something horrific to get Rath into such a state…

     "SO! What did you do this time?!" Ja-kal demanded.

  "Well… You know I took the Skycofagus out this morning," She said.

  "Yeeesss…" He didn't like the sound of where this was going…

  "Well I had to walk back…" 

  "WHAT!!" He bellowed. "You crashed the Skycofagus too!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing! No wonder Rath had passed out!

  "Actually… more like sunk…" the charioteer couldn't miss the venom his eye's, she often go into trouble for wrecking the vehicles but now the tone was one of ballistic anger. 

     "Nefer-tina, what in the name of RA where you thinking!! In one week you have managed to total the Hot-Ra, Nilator, Skycycel and now the Skycofagus!! _(A/N If I've spelt these wrong please forgive me…) No wonder Rath passed out!! Once he fixes one, YOU take it out and destroy it!!! He has been working Day and Night to get and keep the vehicles up and running!! He hasn't slept! He's barely eaten anything!! All his time is spent on repairs!! All this, just trying to keep up with your reckless, destructive, behaviour!!_

     How do you expect him to keep up!! Even thought he thinks he can do everything, you and I both know he can only do so much!! I'm amazed he hasn't lost it sooner!! How could you be so thoughtless!! Tell me… How are we supposed to protect the Prince as well with only 3 guardians?! Because if you keep this up, you'll work Rath into his second Tomb!! And what about the Vehicles! How are we supposed to get to the prince when he's in trouble?! Tell me that!!"  He yelled at her, his face contorted in one of pure fury as he held the unconscious scribe in his arms.

     Nefer-tina was shocked, this that had to be the worst lecture she had ever had off of their leader. She had just thought Rath had overreacted a bit and had had an attack of vertigo. But now she had a proper look at him, she saw the usual arrogant attitude that was normally present  was now gone and replaced with a look of total exhaustion. All the fight from him had gone.

     She suddenly felt very ashamed of herself. She had neglected her responsibilities. And her adrenalin seeking had had a dreadful effect on another guardian, even if they did fight, Rath was still her friend. She didn't think, and her recklessness had came back and bitten her in the tut!! She felt like a right heal now, she lowered her head in shame as Ja-kal continued to glare daggers at her…

     "I'm… I'm sorry Ja-kal… your right…," She took a deep breath to try and calm the nasty sick feeling that was churning in her gut… or where they used to be… "I was thoughtless, irresponsible and inconsiderate…," She really hated to admit it, but it was true.... "I didn't mean too… I just… got carried away. I thought Rath was fine. I didn't think about what I was doing… I'm sorry." Her voice was barely a whisper as she apologised.

     "I'm not the one you need to apologies to!" The falcon guardian snapped bitterly. Nefer-tina flinched at the harshness of his words, but she knew that he was right. She was in for some serious grovelling when Rath came round…

     Ja-kal decided it was best to take the scribe back to his sarcophagus, he could use a good rest, he more then deserved it after putting up with Nefer-tina's destructive nature. He wrapped one of the unconscious mummies arms round his neck keeping hold of his wrist to steady him. Then with his free arm, he gently wrapped it round Rath's slender waist. Ja-kal was momentarily taken back, he hadn't relies how slim he really was… he fitted quite snugly in his arms…

     Snapping out of his straying thoughts, he turned back to the topic in hand. Ever-so-gently, Ja-kal raised them both of the floor. The charioteer was still there with her eye's down cast.

  _//Feeling like trash?// the hunter thought. __//GOOD!//_

  "Nefer-tina," He addressed her in his usual telling off tone. "You are, as the Prince puts it 'Grounded'! No going out! That means no party's, no dancing, no driving!! Not until Rath is better and only after all, and I mean **_ALL_ the vehicles have been fixed! Do I make myself clear?!" He demanded.**

     Nefer-tina jaw hit the floor and she was about to protest, but a mummer from the shattered scribe in their leaders arms made her bite her tongue…

  "Well?!" He was getting impatient.

  "Yes, Ja-kal. I… understand." She mumbled.

  "Good! Now go and find something useful to do!" He said sharply.

     The charioteer nodded curtly and scurried out of the chamber as fast as her mummified legs would carry her. Ja-kal sighed and shook he head. 

  _//Will she never listen to us?!// he thought and glanced at Rath. __//Not till one of us is gone I suppose// _

     He continued to gaze at the unconscious wizard in his arms. Rath's head had come to rest in the crock of his neck, his face pressed against his collar bone. His grey skin was now almost white with a drained expression on his sharp, aristocratic, features.

     Ja-kal suddenly got a familiar funny feeling in the place where his stomach once was, his mouth suddenly became as dry as his old desert home as he realised how close they  where. 

     The hunter sighed and turned his gaze to the chamber exit. Readjusting Rath weight, he slowly made his way out and into the camber where there sarcophaguses where kept. Ever-so often the scribe would murmur and shift against Ja-kal's body and again the feeling would resurface… and every time a little stronger then before… 

     The hunter didn't know what to think, he was feeling so confused. He had had theses same feelings around Rath when they where alive and back in Egypt.  They had started the very first day he meet the Scribe at the palace of the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh wanted the hunter to meet the man chosen to be Prince Rapses teacher.

     The had heard of the grate Scribe of Thebes, as had every one else in upper and lower Egypt. When the Pharaoh said he was going to have nothing but the best for his son… he did not jest…

     When the Royal hunter arrived at the newly appointed guardian chambers, he was greeted with a billowing column of  thick, black smoke coming throw the door and a god awful smell that could make Anubis tuck tail and run.

     His first thought was fire, Ja-kal covered his face and ran inside.

  "Is anyone in here!!!" he hollered. He couldn't see a thing and began to choke from the smoke.

  "Get down on the floor!!" a man yelled, although it was rather high pitched. 

     Doing as he was told, the hunter practically threw himself on the smooth marble floor. He continued to cough and splutter, his blue eyes began to sting from the fumes. He screwed them tightly shut to try and ward of the pain.

     The next thing he heard was the mans voice again. Ja-kal couldn't make out what he was saying over his own coughing. Then he got a shock as he felt wind… but not just any old wind… this was the kind of wind only a sand storm brought…

     Ja-kal lay there, face down on the floor as the wildest of winds battered his body. He could feel the smoke rolling over him, caressing him like the flowing waves of the Nile. His kilt flapped like a flag in a gale as it was battered about by the fast moving air. He had to clamp a hand on his head to stop his headdress flying away. Ja-kal could barely breath the wind was that strong. 

     Just as his head began to feel dizzy from lack of air… the indoor wind storm… stopped… it just… stopped… He was finely able to breath again, he took a couple lung fulls of air to steady his nerves as he lay there.

  "What in the name of Ra just happened?" He asked him self between gasps.

  "That's what happens when servants are clumsy…" the unknown man said, with an air of arrogant authority.

     Ja-kal looked up to see the owner of the voice. What he saw seemed to make time stop.  Standing in front of him stood a rather tall man… He looked even taller because of his hat, it probably added at least 7 inches to his height. His clothing was made of very fine white cloth and his belt was made from rich gold and emerald green.

     His shoulders were covered by elegant gold and green armour with what looked like golden scales running from the centre of his chest, under each well defined pectoral muscle and disappear round his back. 

     Two slender, but toned arms crossed over his chest and gentle artisan hands taped their long fingers. Ja-kal gaze moved up the bronze skin man standing in front of him. The man's head tilted to the side and gave Ja-kal a quizzical look. The tall hat cast a dark shadow over the strangers eye, which The hunter noticed that they were the most… amazing light palm leaf green he had ever seen… quite unusual for an Egyptian.

     The cobra eyed mans facial features where very striking to say the least… he was looking at the face of an aristocrat… someone from a wealthy family. High cheek bones, angular nose, pointy chin and defined shapely lips which were pulled into an amused smirk. 

     Ja-kal lay there looking like a catfish out of water. He was mentally kicking himself to do something, to move, to speak, anything to stop himself looking stupid!

  "Do you require assistance?" The man in the big hat asked, he not only looked the part of an aristocrat but sounded the part. His slightly higher then normal pitched voice had an underlying mocking tone. It was his voice he had heard… he seemed very amused at seeing Ja-kal laying there on the floor…

     OH BY RA…! He was still on the floor! The hunter was knocked out of his divy trance, he tore his stare away from the man to pick himself up off the floor. He got to his knees when a green gauntleted hand appeared in front of him.

     Being stupid again Ja-kal just looked dumbly at the offered hand. He noticed they where quite big but slender like the rest of him with long nimble fingers.

  "You know, I'm not going to stand her all day…," The Slender man said, sounding annoyed. "Do you what my help, or not?"

  "Errrr… yes, thank you." Ja-kal managed to say as he took the other mans wrist. With a surprisingly strong grip and some strength, the man hoisted the hunter up on to his feet in one swift motion.

     Ja-kal could now see that they were nearly the same height… himself standing just slightly taller. Even thought the man had to look up at him Ja-kal got the feeling that he looking down his nose at him.

     "Now that your of the floor, you can tell me who exactly who you are." The green eyed stranger said… Ja-kal brushed himself off and readjusted his headdress, trying not to look into the slim mans, cobra like eye's.

     "Errrr… My name is Ja-kal. I'm the Royal hunter to the Pharaoh and guardian to prince Rapses."

  "I see," The man nodded "And what are you doing here?" He asked.

  "Well…,"_ //Why the do I feel so nervous// Ja-kal silently asked himself. "I was send here to meat Rath, Scribe of Thebes, the newly appointed guardian and Tutor  to the prince."_

  "Really, now why would meeting him so soon, be so important?" The stranger said, his green eye's glinted some what mischievously.

     "Well seeing as we are to be working together, I thought it would be good to meat as soon as possible and get to know each other…" Ja-kal explained, he could feel the mans intense, steady gaze on him. "You wouldn't happen to know where he is, would you?" He asked, changing the subject. 

     "Maybe…" His smirk returning to his face.

  "Maybe?" the hunter was slightly confused by the answer. "What do you mean by maybe?"

  "Maybe, yes," He indicated with one green gauntleted hand. "Maybe, no." With the other. The man in the hat grinned at the blank expression on Ja-kals face and crossed his arms again… The sparkle of mischief seemed to grow in the green depths… He was playing with him! Ja-kal wasn't quite sure how to respond…

     "Err… so… is he here…?" He asked.

  "Yes." 

  "Where?"

  "Standing right in front of you." He smirked. Ja-kals face faulted.

  "… What?!"  The man bowed at the waist.

   "I, am  Rath, Scribe of Thebes…," He straitened back up. "It is a pleasure to meet you Ja-kal…" 

     Ja-kal was in shock. He had just made himself out to be a complete and utter idiot in front of the new guardian! If he was getting his eye's burnt out with acidic smoke… he was acting mentally retarded. But for all his stupid behaviour that day… Rath never held it against him…

     Ja-kal sighed, he entered the sarcophagus chamber as the memories of his first encounter with the cobra guardian ventured back to the recesses of his mind.

_  //Why in the name of RA is wrong with me! I shouldn't feel like this!//_ He growled to himself in frustration as he climbed the steps… _//Back in Egypt I thought the feeling I got around him were a result of those God awful concoctions he made… or indigestion…// _

     But now Ja-kal didn't have a stomach, so it couldn't be indigestion, and Rath didn't make many potions nowadays… he said something about not having the proper ingredients… so he figured it couldn't have been them. 

_     //Why do I feel this when he's near me?//_ The hunter asked himself as he opened Raths sarcophagus, the beautiful gold and green cobra motif glinted in the torch light as it rumbled open.

     The scribe moaned again in his unconscious state and nuzzled closer to Ja-kal. The hunter hart almost leapt out of his chest, he swallowed hard. _(A/N: I'm pretty sure in mummification they keep the hart… something to do with in the after life Anubis weighs it against a feather or something…) He momentarily closed his eye's and savoured the warm, tingly felling the scribe was causing._

     But a blast from his conscious thought began to scream at him. Telling him how wrong this was and to put the guardian in his sarcophagus before someone see him in his arms. Ja-kals eye's snapped open as a vision of a horrid seen of him trying to explain what he was doing.

     The quickly put Rath in his sarcophagus gently as he could… The Scribe moaned again in irritation about being moved from his comfy spot.  The hunters blue eye's travelled up the slim figure and rested on his face. He still looked like he'd been dragged throw the underworld and back again… but his famous scowl had returned, so Ja-kal figured that this was a good sign…

     Ja-kal stood here a moment longer… his mind had gone strangely numb…

**WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!!**

        well… wad you think….

     Good…?

     Bad…?

     Ugly…?

     You pick… you tell me… and I write more… simple pimple… 

     But flames will be given to Cujo to play with… and I know I have bad spelling… I am dyslexic and I can spell… have to get someone to help me out with that…

      N e who… you know what the blue buttons for…

    Review and I'll love you for ever…. **_PROMMIS_**!  =^__^= 


	2. I'll Put A Spell On You

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**_Mummies Alive!_**

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**_The Dark Cobra Saga_**

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     Wooooo hooooo! Second chapter! You guys are in for something special…. Thank you for all the lovely reviews… and I'm so sorry that I haven't updated sooner… I sort of stuck this on the back burner for a while…

  ### **_Review Reply_####**

    First of…. Somebody e-mailed me… I can't remember how it was… and when those viruses hit earlier in the year I had to delete every single one I had…

   Now it was someone who said they had the absolute honour to actually meet Mr. Scott who dose Rath's voices! Now if this is you… I am so sorry I didn't get back to you sooner! I had so been planning to have a good old chinwag with you! Well… maybe a finger tap instead…

    But I an so ashamed for myself for not getting in touch with you earlier… please forgive me… I is a complete and utter arse….  Please for give me… I really do what to talk…

     Monkeyhood

     Ah… but I didn't… I said I had someone helping me with spelling… but because it was in caps… the spell checker didn't pick it up and there for it slipped through the net… blasted bas-ted thing! Oh how I hate it!

     Pinkdevil

     Ah… someone else that like my perverted overactive mind! Oh how I love you! In a purely friendly way of cores… which X-men fic was it BTW? And another Mummy fan… I was really pissed that they took it off the air… they should have had a second series… I have know idea what happened! But yes… I must agree! with you… you have to love snakes and their slinkieness!

     Ancara-iii

     Good for you to have such an open mind! There are too few of you out there so well done! I agree that as long as you keep the characters true… nothing else really matters…

  Thank you very much for your offer of help, it is very much appreciated… but someone was already helping me…. But I don't know how reliable they will be… so if they stuff up can I call on your help?

     Karasu

     Yeah! I is loved! And I have sense! Yahoo! HAZAR! Thank you soooo much… I'm glad your enjoying it! I'll try to keep you entertained…  thankies for review! Hopefully it won't be as long till the next chappies up… ::fingers crossed::

     RatheraMutemwiya

     Bloody hell that's a long name…. Nice… but long…I know what you mean… I was looking for mummy slash and it's a rare as trying to find me doing ironing! I'm so glad your liking it… hopefully your love what I have in store!

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**Chapter 2_: I'll put a spell on you…_**

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****

**WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! WHOOO!! __**

     "Oh, now what!" Moaned Nefer-tina. "Did Rath have to make that dame alarm so loud!"

  "This is no time for complaints!" Ja-kal snapped as he ran throw the door. "The museum is being robbed!!"

  "Where's Rath?" Armon shouted over the din.

     "He's resting in his sarcophagus," He said glaring at the charioteer. "Do not worry we can deal with the intruders with out him. WITH THE STRENGTH OF RA!" He was transformed and out of the Sphinx quicker then greased lighting.

  "What did you do this time?" Armon inquired.

  "OH! SHUT UP!" 

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     "Where are they?" Scarab mumbled from behind his buggy mask. "They should be here by now?"

  "That's the trouble with hero's today… they have no respect of villains time tables…" Heka hissed her two penny's worth…

  "Scarab! We should have known!" Came the unmistakable voice of the mummy leader. The old wizard turned as his adversaries came out of the shadows. But noticed one very important thing.

     "You seem a little… short staffed tonight…" He said lowly, the battle hadn't even started and his plan was already up the bucket!

  "The only thing you should be worried about is living throw the night, Scarab!" The mummified hunter yelled as he drew his trusty golden bow. 

  "Let's kick TUT!" Armon yelled. As the three mummies races forward.

     "Attack my Shabti's!" The bug armoured man shouted. The stone men came to life and advanced on the guardians. "This could pose a problem…" he said to the female cobra as they watched the mummies pick off the mindless automatons one by one.

     Ja-kal took to the sky and shot down one after the other with pin point accuracy with his flaming arrows. Nefer-tina flipped, dogged and danced round the sluggish and slow rock men and shattered them with lighting quickness. Armon on the other hand charged at them like a bull in a pottery shop and was smashing the Shabti dust with all the finesse of a ballerina elephant on roller skates. 

     "If you still want to pull this plan off, you better do something quick…" Heka warned as the Shabti's began to diminish rapidly…

  "You don't have to tell me…" He warned as he concentrated. A ball of purple light formed in his three clawed hand. It then shot into the night sky and flew off…

     "And what good is that going to do… apart from attracting moths?" Heka hissed. 

  "Waite and see…" Scarab smiled wickedly. Then started firing randomly into the battle field...

     Armon deflected a beam of energy of his golden arm.

  "Watch it! Scarabs trying to join in!" The warrior bellowed.

  "So I noticed!" Nefer-tina snapped as she dogged a punch and an energy blasted.

  "Stay sharp!" Ja-kal shouted. "This fight is far from oveeeerRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Ja-kal was hit in the back by one of Scarabs energy bolts and he fell threw the sky like a lead balloon on the pavement.

     "JA-KAL!" Armon yelled as 8 stone Shabti's piled on top of him, pinning him down. The others where too late too stop him from hitting the concrete floor with a deafening thud. Scarab began to stalk over to the fallen hunter.

  "GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Nefer-tina shrieked as the cat guardian raced to the falcons aid, but was stopped by a several more Shabti before she got with 10 feet. Ja-kal stirred and rubbed his helmeted head, groaning at his own stupidity.

     "Well my original plan might not work… but that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun." Scarab smiled sadistically. He raised his clawed hand and took aim. Ja-kal managed to look up in to the face of the man that killed him and sneered. "Say goodbye Ja-kal…" A flaming ball of purple fire sparked in his hand and then…

     A tremendous nerve racking lightning crack split the air as a massive green energy blot connected with the old wizard, hitting him square in the chest and sent him flying into the nearest wall.  The other mummies spun round to see there rescuer… there stood the familiar, cobra clad guardian. Arm still outstretched, leaning on his curved sword and chest heaving… He was clearly out of breath… and struggling to stay on his feet… 

     "RATH!" Ja-kal cried, in both gratitude and concern. He could just make out the small weary smile on the Scribes face.

  "Hope… I didn't… miss… all the… fun…" He said between breaths. It was painfully obvious to everyone on the battlefield that he was in no fit state to be on his feet, let alone fight. But he took up his sword and moved into a shaky battle stance… 

     Scarab picked himself up and smiled sinisterly. His summing ball had worked and had called the absent guardian out. He didn't know why he was in such a dreadful condition and he really didn't care… It would only work to his advantage… the weaker he was… the less resistance he would put up…

     "Well, Rath… your looking a little worse for wear…," He taunted. "Are these youngsters wearing you out…?" 

  "Why don't… you do… me… a favour…," The Scribe laboured. "And… SHUT… UP!" He hissed not really being in any mood for politeness. Scarab laughed.

  "My, my… you certainly get very cranky when your tiered… Lets see if I can cheer you up… Shabti's… DESTROY THEM!!" He yelled as a fresh wave of the stone creatures disembarked from 4 large vans parked near by.

     They charged over to the mummies and started a fresh onslaught… But only 3 of them… they seemed to steer clear of the cobra guardian. But he wasn't left out, the Battle clad wizard advanced on the exhausted swordsman…

     "You do look terrible Rath… Aren't you sleeping well?" He teased as he circled the Scribe. 

  "Oh… just… get on… with it…" He swayed slightly as he spoke. 

  "If you insist…" Scarab said silkily. "Catch me if you can…" Then took off down the nearest street… Rath glanced back at his comrades… they where all occupied with Shabti's, at least 18 to 1. He couldn't just let Scarab get away… he had to go after him… But by Ra… he was so tiered… He shook his head to clear it, then ran after the old sorcerer.    

     "RATH!! NO!! WAIT!!" Ja-kal yelled as he fended off his stone attackers. Try as he might, he couldn't brake free from the tight hold the Shabti's had around him.  He could just make out the shining gold of the cobra's tail as it disappeared round the street corner.

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     Rath forced himself to stay focused and to keep moving as he raced throw the twisting, damp streets, following the sound of the traitors footsteps. He was in serious pain… he hurt all over, it only seemed to increase with every step as his feet pounded on the concrete in pursuit of his target… 

     At the moment all he wanted to do was slink off back to the Sphinx, crawl back into his sarcophagus and sleep for another 3500 years! It was getting to the point were he didn't care anymore! Scarab on the other hand was thinking with perfect clarity as he lead the princes guardian to the spot he had planed to carry out his scheme with out any interruptions…

     Just when Rath had enough and was going to give up and sit down till his head stopped throbbing, he rounded the corner and came face too face with Scarab and 12 more Shabti's… The stone creatures circled and aimed their laser staffs at him. It was a trap… he now realised he had walked right into it! He was such- a-F O O L! He moved to slice down the stone fence.

     "I wouldn't move if I were you… You take one step and I'll give the order to fire…" Rath froze… he maybe cornered but he didn't want to give the old vulture the advantage. If he was unconscious… there was no telling what he'd do to him. Scarab laughed cruelly as Rath growled in frustration. Scarab begun to prepared for the spell… liberally sprinkling a mix of Sahara sand and dried cobra blood round the trapped guardian. 

     "What… do you… want… with me… Scarab…?!" Rath demanded weakly as he watched the Beatle armoured man pull a old papyrus scroll from his garments.

  "Now, Rath… if I told you now it would spoil the surprise, but as the saying goes… you'll thank me for this later…" He smirked as he began to read the ancient writing…

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"HIIIIIIII-YAAAAA!" Nefer-tina cried as she took out the last of her attackers. Armon used the head of a Shabti's to nock over another. 

  "All right! Bowling for Shabti's!" Ja-kal threw the last of the stone creatures off his back.

  "Quickly! Rath went after Scarab!" He cried as he took off in the direction the two wizard when. Nefer-tina and Armon obediently followed.

     "What is that idiot thinking!" the Cat guardian yelled as she ran. "He's in no condition to go after Scarab!"

  "And he calls me dumb…" Armon added as they ran round a corner.

  "Well he wouldn't be in such a horrid state if someone didn't work him like an old mule!" The hunter snapped. "We have to get to Rath before…"

     He was cut off by a column of emerald light that shot up into the night sky threw the forest of building. 

  "I do not like the look of that…" Armon said as his stared up at the beautiful but somehow… disturbing sight… "Not at all…"

  "I hope that isn't what I think it is…" Nefer-tina murmured as the three mummies headed for the strange light.

  "If Scarab has hurt him…" Ja-kal left the threat unfinished, not being able to think of a fate horrid enough. 

     When they rounded the finial corner and came face to face with what they all feared. In the centre of the eerie light was their comrade… His hands holding his helmeted head as he shook it violently as if he was trying to shake something from his mind…  Ja-kal ran to pull the Scribe out of light, but was stopped dead in his tracks by something none of them had heard come from their friend before… a blood curdling, hart stopping scream… and it was terrifying. 

  "Wha… what's happing?!" Nefer-tina yelled clearly shaken by the sound. "Why is Rath screaming like that?!"

     The other two didn't answer as the pillar of light swirled and changed from green to crimson red. A fierce wind kicked up blowing round the light encased guardian to form a protective barrier. The hunter tried once again to reach his friend… but try as he might, the wind was too strong… he could get near him. 

     "RATH!! RATH!! CAN YOU HEAR ME!!" Ja-kal cried, but the only response he got was another dreadful howl in pain. "RATH!! ANSWER ME!!" He demanded… But the Scribe continued to cry like a banshee as the light swirled once more and changed to jet black. The wind became a tornado but his tortured screams could clearly be heard over the roaring air current.

     There was nothing the others could do except watch the dark light and listen to their friend cry out in agonising pain. Suddenly there was a deafening explosion of white light as the vortex seemed to shrink… getting thinner and thinner… their friends out cries had stopped, but that only seemed to worry them more… There was a final explosion of dark light, the other guardians covered there eye's, and then everything was gone... No light… no wind… no noise… just still … quiet… silence…

     They looked up to see only the Cobra armoured wizard standing there… but there was something very wrong… they all could sense it… with out a word, Rath fell to his knees… swayed slightly… then landed on his face with a dull clunk. 

     The Falcon guardian was the first at serpents side. He gently rolled him over onto his back, inspecting for any damage. What he saw scared him to death…The Scribe was twitching violently, making horrid gagging noises like he was choking on something in his throat, or as if he was having trouble breathing. But there was something else that worried the hunter too… his armour was no longer rich gold… but pure, shining, star silver… 

    Nefer-tina hands where over her mouth, horrified as she saw the condition of the Scribe. She fell to her knees as gilt flooded her mind… Armon was speechless, the mighty fighter felt horribly powerless as he watched the slender figure twitched and squirm. Ja-kal was at a loss… he hadn't a clue as to what had happened… and he had no idear what to do… There was only one thing he could think of…

    "Armon…" Ja-kal said gently, snapping the one armed worrier from his daze… "Armon, we need to get Rath back to the Sphinx, can you carry him…?"

  "Ahh… yeah… sure… no problem…" He mumbled as he stooped down and gingerly scooped up the jerking, silver and green armoured body… He immediately set off for home at full tilt leaving Ja-kal and Nefer-tina behind…

     "It's my fault…," The charioteer whispered. "It's all my fault…" She sobbed covering her face with her hands… The falcon guardian didn't have the hart to agree with her… maybe it was… and then maybe it wasn't… they'd never know fore sure… he silently put his arm round her and helped her up… and quickly led her back to her Sphinx…  

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     Well that another chappie down… Ra knows how many more to go…

     As usual… tell me what you guys think….

    I dose love reviews!!! Doesn't everyone?!!


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